Archive for Heavy Metal

Bloody Times
On A Mission
Released 11th January 2019
Heavy Metal
Self-Released

‘On A Mission’ is the second album from the German heavy metal band Bloody Times. The band started as a solo project of bassist Simon Pfundstein back in 2014. He was later joined by two former members of Iced Earth, drummer Raphael Saini and vocalist John Greedy. This album also features guest performances from various heavy metal musicians including Ross Friedman aka Ross the Boss (ex-Manowar).

The first thing that struck me when listening to this album was how much it reminded me of old Iced Earth. Luckily I happen to like old Iced Earth, so it’s good to hear John Greedy behind the mike again. The mid-paced opening track Alliance is one of the more melodic songs on here. I guess that this was meant to be some sort of classic metal ballad and as such it works reasonably well. I just wish that they would have omitted the progressive, ponderous and slow guitar parts mid-way through the song. It’s not the best start to the album but luckily what follows is the energetic, thrash metal style Fort Sumter– easily my favourite song on here due to excellent guitar work and powerful vocals. Now that’s more like it! If only this track was the first one….

Die In A Hole also has that thrash metal vibe to it; it is more varied in pace, not quite as fast ‘Fort Sumter’ but not too slow either. There is a good range of guitar riffs and Mr. Greedy manages to find the right balance between low pitched shouting and clean vocals to match the tone of the music. I also like the reworked version of Curse of Genevieve. What lets this album down is a short track called The Warning (Until Blood Boils pt.1) which falls under the category of what I commonly refer to as “filler”. I honestly do not know what I found more irritating, the strange vocal effects or the ultra dull-sounding, doom metal style guitar riffs plodding along in the background. Time to skip this. Next! Luckily the part 2 marks a return to the fast and aggressive heavy metal.

Overall, despite its flaws, ‘On A Mission’ is a good heavy metal album which I would recommend to fans of old Iced Earth.

Corroded

Bitter

Heavy Metal, Groove Metal

Released: 25th January 2019

via Despotz Records

After reforming in 2017 for the album Defcon Zero, an album that was created due to their frustrations with label executives. Swedish heavy-metallers, Corroded decided to keep the music coming out of this revitalised passion. Which leads us to this years album, Bitter. I have to say, I’m really liking this band ever since they’ve come back from hiatus. There’s really something so honest in their music since the 5-year break. Bitter continues this with everything here being presented with passion whilst also being really accessible to new listeners. I always say “every new album is a new chance to inspire new fans” and yeah it seems Corroded are going out of their way to entice a new following without betraying the older fans. It’s a delicate balance but I think they’ve nailed it.

This album starts with an atmospheric intro piece before kicking right into the riffs, which are awesome. The riffs are filled with bass and feel so weighty. The grooves they create on this record are fresh and you can tell how much time and effort went into the writing and recording. Every song just leaps out of the speakers and keeps you listening sense intoxicated until the very end. The precision guitar and excellent drum work are awesome on their own but coupled with the vocal performance it really is a treat for the ears. Vocalist, Jens Westin sings everything with such conviction you can’t help but try to relate to the lyrics and sing along with him.

There are just some excellent tunes that stick in your head long after the record is over. One of my favourite songs here is “Testament”. With its excellent groove, the anthemic chorus, blistering guitar solo and just overall fun appeal. It’s a song that really stuck with me. Another song that I really like is “Black” a wonderfully sombre tune but still injected with life thanks in part to the wonderfully arranged production. This album does just really run the gambit of emotional tone and all of it well paced. Seriously, I still think there is an art to putting an album together, this album is so well paced that 12 songs and 52 minutes long, it flies by like a breeze. Making you want to listen to it all over again, immediately.

Corroded are quickly becoming one of my favourite metal bands and I am so happy they came back off of that hiatus. Even better they came back stronger and filled with ideas. This album is such a blast and now a frequent companion on my car journeys. If you like your pure heavy metal, do yourself a favour and get this one as soon as you can!

Full House Brew Crew
Me Against You
Released 16th November 2018
Groove Metal / Heavy Metal
Released via ROAR! Rock of Angels Records

We Against You’ is the second album from the Greek groove metal band Full House Brew Crew. The band was formed back in 2009 by guitarist and vocalist Vagelis “Van” Karzis who currently plays bass for Rotting Christ. Their music has been compared to the Black album -era Metallica, Godsmack and Black Label Society.

Groove metal is not a genre that I listen to that much. In fact, the only groove metal band I occasionally tune into is DevilDriver. I never really got into Black Label Society and Godsmack has always been a little too grunge / nu-metal for my liking. So hopefully this album has a least a hint of Metallica in the guitars, otherwise it will be a complete waste of my time…

Well aside from some of the guitar patterns there is not much similarity to Metallica on here. What is fairly easy to detect though is the Southern metal, bluesy groove metal akin to the likes of Black Label Society. Even the vocal style is similar. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. This record has its moments such as the catchy, groovy guitar harmonies in the chorus of No One’s Safe or heavier, more aggressive, metal-sounding Hollow God. Once again the guitar work is pretty good and the vocals work well with the music.

Those are the positives, now for the negatives… Some of the slower, ballad-type tracks on here reminded me of bands such as Nickelback and Disturbed. Take When I Crossed That Door! for example, it’s your typical hard rock ballad that you might hear on the radio. It falls in the category of melodic, radio-friendly rock that works ok as a background noise but ultimately doesn’t fill me with any kind of excitement. It is songs like this one that make the album seem a bit too long and lacking in energy.

In summary, ‘We Against You’ features a mixture of styles ranging from groove metal, Southern rock/metal through to heavy metal and hard rock. I wish that there was more of the groove metal and less of the slow hard rock ballads which drag the album down.

Here is something for fans of melodic death metal. Introducing Corrosive Sweden, a melodic death metal band from Iggesund, Sweden. They are currently working on their latest album which is scheduled to released in March 2019 via BMP Records.

For now you can check out their latest single ‘Angry Me’.
Or the original version of the song:

The single is available on itunes, Spotify as well as other digital platforms.

‘Thorium’ is the debut album from the Belgian heavy metal band of the same name. Thorium was formed two years ago and their line-up includes former members of Ostrogoth.

Just in case the connection to the band Ostrogoth was not obvious, this album includes a song called Ostrogoth. It’s an entertaining, albeit a little cheesy, piece of melodic power metal with powerful vocals and good guitar work. I like how they managed to get the guitars to mimic the sound of galloping horses towards the latter half of the track. Watch out, the Ostrogoths are coming!! Some of the songs reminded me of early works of Helloween, mostly due to the pace and the similarities in the vocal style.

There are also elements of traditional heavy metal and thrash metal on here. This is evident in tracks such as Godspeed with its catchy chorus as well as more varied but no less cheerful-sounding guitar melodies. They continue with the same mixture of heavy metal and power metal for the rest of the album. The final track Four by Number, Four by Fate is one of those that listeners are either going to love or hate. It definitely stands out on here for numerous reasons. Let’s start with the length – it’s just short of sixteen minutes which is very long even for a ballad. The style is a mish-mash of everything ranging from acoustic guitar instrument parts, progressive guitar riffs, power metal, heavy metal to some thrash metal thrown in just to keep you on your toes. Personally I think this might have worked better if it was broken up into two separate tracks.

Overall, Thorium’s debut album has a lot of things going for it. They have created a good balance of catchy and melodic heavy metal with enough variety to keep the listener entertained. I think that fans of power metal and heavy metal will enjoy it, especially those who are into Helloween and Iron Maiden.

God’s Army
Demoncracy
Released 12h October 2018
Heavy Metal
Released via Rock of Angels Records

‘Demoncracy’ is the second album from God’s Army, a heavy metal band featuring Mark Cross (ex- Helloween, Firewind and many others). They were originally formed in 2004 and their line-up hasn’t changed much since the beginning. The only new addition to the band is the German guitarist Eddie van Dahl.

The band stated on their Facebook page that despite the name they have “absolutely nothing to do with religion and everything to do with music.” So religion is not one of the themes, but based on the album title and the samples from political speeches it looks as though politics and current affairs are among the topics covered in the lyrics. The first track is an intro which you may wish to skip unless of course you like listening to crowd noises and politicians talking. Moving on… Right from the opening riff Free Your Mind sounds much more promising. It’s a guitar-driven, classic catchy heavy metal song with all the right elements to make you want to start headbanging. Final Destination takes on more melodic stance with some progressive undertones in the guitars. The vocals reminded me of mid-career Helloween.

There are more samples from political speeches further into the album, but that shouldn’t be a deterrent. I quite enjoyed the chorus and the guitar parts on Games Without Frontiers – another catchy heavy metal song. What I could have done without are the so-called filler tracks such as the whispers and ambient track The All Seeing Eye. Seriously, what the hell is the point of that song? Luckily it is short and what follows is more guitar-driven, melodic but very catchy heavy metal. They saved the best for last – closing the album is an entertaining heavy metal cover on Frank Sinatra’s My Way. Not the most obvious choice for a cover but it works very well.

Overall, ‘Demoncracy’ is a good example of modern heavy metal. The songs are catchy and well executed but not too progressive or over-complicated in structure. There’s a few tracks which I had to skip but those are the only minor flaws on this album.

It’s busy times ahead for the American metal band All The Remains. Their new album ‘Victim Of The New Disease’ will be out on 9th November 2018 via Fearless Records. It is rumored to be their “ heaviest record since ….for We Are Many” and it will feature a guest performance from Danny Worsnop (Asking Alexandria).

You can check out the cover art here:

They will also be hitting the road in December 2018 supported by Sevendust with a series of European dates starting in Southampton in The U.K.